IN FOR TREATMENT Movie Review

It's tempting to blame the obscurity of this superb little picture on insensitive movie distributors or unadventurous audiences, but really, the movie did play theatres and it did get seen by a few people. The fact is that it's a Dutch movie with an unknown cast about a man (Helmert Woudenberg) who checks into a hospital for tests and discovers he's dying of cancer. A miracle cure does not happen. Nor does the hospital do right by him; his care is inefficient and lackadaisical, particularly after his unfavorable diagnosis is revealed. Where on Earth will this movie pack them in? In for Treatment is a movie about loneliness, about rising to the occasion, about the priceless value of simple, unexpected kindnesses. And it is about dying. It is also wonderful. Should the opportunity ever arise, don't avoid seeing this film by using the “I'm sure it's good but I just don't need to see that kind of thing right now” excuse. If you don't need to see it now, can you name a better time? Produced and performed by the Werkteater Collective.

NEXT STOP … Near Death (1988), Frederick Wiseman), On the Bridge (1992, Frank Perry)

1982 92m/C NL Helmut Woudenberg, Frank Groothof, Hans Man lnt Veld; D: Eric Van Zuylen, Marja Kok.VHS NO